My husband and I chose this cruise because we wanted quality, education, and a peaceful cruise. We are seniors so we felt at home in the mostly group of seniors. We've raised our children and appreciated the peace and quiet of a childless cruise. We especially enjoyed the educational experiences offer both in the shore excursions and the educators hired to come onboard to make their presentations about the economy, culture and politics of the areas we visited.

The crew was outstanding and we wonder if they are always this good or if we lucked out. We especially liked the Program Director and the humor he brought to the trip. We only had two minor complaints: (1) We struggled to get our cabin's temperature adjusted to be comfortable at night. Our choice for bedding was a heavy comforter or a sheet so a light blanket would have been welcomed. (2) Each included shore excursion seemed to consist of a tour of a cathedral and palace so they all began to run together. Maybe some ports have some other kinds of interests.

But, like I said, those are very minor complaints. The food was top-notch with a good assortment of choices. We are not picky eaters and enjoyed the fancy dishes as well as the hamburgers. Would we go with Viking again? You betcha! We hope they will eventually have a Mississippi river cruise.